Until the Moon Fades
by skinnylikeGandi
Summary: Tohru loves the Sohma family deeply how could she be made to choose between the two members who need her most? Mystery and love intertwine on Tohru's 17th birthday. Fated romance must overcome animal nature to finally break the Sohma curse... tohrukyo Toh
1. Forgotten

UNTIL THE MOON FADES

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Chapter 1: Forgotten

I don't own Fruits Basket, I own you just kidding

NOTE: This is set after Kyo's Transformation but that doesn't weigh too heavily on the plot…

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Only four more days…Tohru Honda glanced at the clock above her teacher's desk; its endless metronome slowly counting down the seconds until her 17th birthday, but at the moment it seemed to be moving in reverse. This active time lapse was due, in large part, to the incessant monotone of her teacher's voice (& subject for that matter) Math. Ughh…

A small movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention. Though merely a common fly, Tohru still preferred its droning over her teacher's. Following its erratic path across the classroom, her eyes fell on the boy sitting two rows across from her. It was certainly no wonder; the prince had always possessed the uncanny ability to draw attention to himself. At the moment, he seemed immersed in the lecture, but looks can be deceiving. Upon closer inspection, Tohru noticed that his eyes were glazed over in thought. She wondered, idly, what the prince's was thinking about so intensely.

…

Yuki took a deep breath and exhaled forcefully, as if trying to expel some of his inner turmoil. It was Tohru's birthday soon and he still had no idea what to get her. Ahhh, his beautiful Tohru…this was his one chance to express how he felt, to show his true feeling for her. …But what to get her? Aside from her interest in others, Yuki had no idea what Tohru's hobbies were. Racking his brain for anything he might find useful – he finally remembered something …

…strawberries, perfect.

That Afternoon (still 4 more days until Tohru's Birthday)

….

Kyo was irritated. He stalked back and forth along the narrow ridge of Shigure's roof with his trademark scowl tattooed across his face. Only four days left until Tohru's birthday and he hadn't the faintest idea what to get her. It didn't help matters when he looked down at the long driveway to see Yuki and Tohru walking home from school together; in fact, matters rapidly deteriorated from there. "STUPID RAT!" he yelled while they were still too far away to hear him. Kyo was livid but tried desperately to control his emotions. He dared not pick a fight with Yuki while Tohru was near them; he remembered the last time he did that… No, I can't risk hurting her again, especially not now…I'll let that damn rat get off this time." Kyo caught himself mid-thought, "Jesus, she really has changed me." A year ago he couldn't even have a conversation about Yuki without needing to punch something. After all, defeating Yuki had been the focus of his life for as long as he could remember. Now, he was not only sleeping under the same roof as his long-hated nemesis, but sharing his meals, his school, even his beloved Tohru with that smug pretty-boy. Yes, he was fully aware that winning Tohru's love would be yet another competition, her birthday yet another battle, between him and that rat. Smirking, Kyo leapt from his rooftop sanctuary with perfect feline grace. This was one competition he was sure to win.

….

Tohru waited in the front yard for the Kyo while Yuki carried her books into the house for her. Kyo's incredible jump from the roof never ceased to amaze Tohru. Every time she saw him do it, she would always filch, involuntarily, at the prospect of him hurting himself. It was the same when Kyo and Yuki fought; she cared so much for both of them, the thought of either being injured was too much to handle. Of course, she didn't need to worry she's Tohru that's just what she does… Kyo always landed on his feet. Happily, she ran over to him as he landed on the yellow, autumn grass of the garden. Walking over to greet her, Kyo waved excitedly at Tohru, a broad grin plastered on his face. Tohru hid a smile at Kyo's obvious relief that Yuki had already gone inside leaving them the two of them alone together.

"Kyo - where were you today after school?" she asked, not hiding her disappointment.

"Uhh, I had to find—um, buy a few things…. for a-a school project…" he mumbled, awkwardly, under his breath.

"Oh, did you find everything you were looking for?"

Before Kyo could answer, Shigure leaned out the kitchen window with the phone grasped in one hand, yelling to Tohru in his ridiculous singsong voice "Ohhhh Tohruuuu_ Telephone Call for the lovely Miss. Honda Tohru…..!" _

"Coming Shigure…!"

Tohru spun around and ran up the walkway to the front porch stairs before Kyo could even open his mouth. Watching her retreating into the house, Kyo leaned up a nearby tree and kicked the dirt dejectedly.

"did you find everything you were looking for?"

"Not hardly" Kyo testified to no one in particular.

Nighttime: 4 days till

After dinner, Tohru and Yuki were clearing the table when Tohru casually glanced at the clock. Gasping, she suddenly realized she was supposed to have called Mojimi back over half an hour ago.

"Oh No! I completely forgot Mojimi!"

"Are you alright?" asking Yuki, gazing at her with concerned violet eyes. "What's wrong Mrs. Honda?"

"Oh I'm sorry Yuki, I'm fine its just that I had told Mojimi I would call him back since he insisted upon getting me something for my birthday and now I have caused him twice as much trouble by making him have to wait for the call…"(she continued on this uncomfortable ramble for some time, squirming with guilt).

The Prince had to suppress a smile at her concern over such a trivial thing, and he felt a great upsurge of love for Tohru wash over him as he watched her pace the sink, worriedly. In one fluid motion, Yuki appeared in front of her and, gently taking the dirty dishes from her hands, whispered in her ear "Don't worry about it Tohru, you go call him and I'll finish up here."

Shocked into silence, Tohru just nodded as she desperately tried to regain her motor functions.

…Meanwhile…

The aged wooden chest shattered from the force of Kyo's poorly vented frustration. "GRRRR, WHERE IS IT!" Kyo yelled continuing to toss sheet-swathed furniture. Shigure's deplorable housekeeping already qualified his attic as a federal disaster zone, but Kyo was hardly helping the situation. Phantoms of dust rose in fury around the volatile boy coating his fiery hair with a layer of filth. Rubbing his gritty vision and cursing Shigure, Kyo made a mental note to buy that lazy mutt a vacuum, a LARGE vacuum for Christmas. Vainly trying to blink the dirt out of his watery, red eyes, Kyo's hazy gaze fell on something deeply out o place in this forgotten annex. A beautiful leather-bound volume rested amongst the broken fragments of the chest. Maneuvering his way through the cluttered attic, Kyo reached for this book of archaic beauty. Its weight surprised him and, as he hauled it from the wreckage, something even more wonderful caught his eye. Beneath the old manuscript was a breathtaking led box, inlaid with silver and mother of pearl. Opening the box Kyo's spine shivered as he lifted a delicate silver chain and locket from a satin pillow, engraved on the locket were the twelve phases of the moon framing an elegant etching of a rose. Kyo gazed at it in wonder until his coughing reminded him of his surroundings. Carefully placing the locket back into its box, he secured it in his pocket and tucked the book under his arm. He wondered whom these ancient heirlooms belonged to as he looked around the attic for an escape route. Spotting a small, circular window at the front of the room Kyo followed the avenue of light that exuded from its grimy panes. Climbing onto the cracked windowsill, Kyo glanced back into the attic's dim expanse; he hadn't found his mother's old promise ring but he sensed that what he _had_ found was something much more meaningful. Crouching on the threshold between the house and the sky, Kyo's muscles tensed and he flung himself out into the autumn horizon. Red shafts of light from the dying sun peaked through the vacated window and briefly illuminated a hideous black rat as it escaped into the darkness.

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note: the rat is not Yuki

me like reviews! me want reviews now! ...um...please? first fic first chapter modified version so be nice


	2. The Memory of Light

Chapter 2: The Memory of Light

Again I DON'T own FB (but i _used_ to: my roomate stole the idea...jk)

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…That Night: Tohru's Room…

Tohru squirmed fitfully in her sleep; her closed lids convulsed with violent REM as her lips formed fervent, muted words to the nameless demons of her dreams.

…Tohru's Dream…

"Tohru— Tohru—!"

"Mom— mom is that you!" Help me mom I can't see!"

Tohru reached out in panic—surrounded by a dark cacophony of unfamiliar voices, screaming in a vicious whirlwind – "MOM—WHERE ARE YOU-?- MOM!"

She was suffocating—drowning in a pool of liquid led – her flailing arms reaching helplessly into the abyss – "HELP ME…!" she cried desperately

then went under for the last time.

…Kyo's Bedroom (during the beginning of Tohru's dream)…

Kyo yawned wide as he paced back and forth between his desk and the hammock he had hung in the corner (he liked sleeping in high places). He had been staring at this stupid book for hours and still couldn't make any sense of the bizarre language inscribed on its pages. Sighing, Kyo snapped the manuscript shut and kneeled by the lose floorboard hidden under a "liberated" doormat that read 'Authorized Personnel Only'. Kyo smiled at his ironic inside joke as he pushed the doormat aside and pried off the board that concealed all the personal treasures that Shigure would sacrifice an appendage to get his hands on. Sliding the book between his childhood journals and a deteriorating stuffed bear, Kyo reached into his pocket for the encased locket, but stopped before wedging it under the box of old photos. Rubbing his thumb along it smooth edges, Kyo cracked open the tiny latch and pulled out the delicate chain anchored by the breathtaking locket. He gazed at it spinning from side to side, catching the light of the moon outside and refracting it across Kyo's face in dappled luminosity. It was perfect. He placed it in his pocket for later examination and reaching over his head peeled the dust-covered shirt over his head. Aiming his shirt like a Frisbee, Kyo tossed it out his bedroom door at the head of the approaching Yuki (who was walking down the hall to his room and was way too tired to retaliate). Yuki ducked easily (as Kyo knew he would) and the shirt veered past him, through the slightly ajar rice-paper divider and into the laundry room. Perfect shot. Kyo raised a finger pistol to his lips and blew imaginary smoke from the barrel. Smiling like the Cheshire Cat, Kyo bounded backwards into his hammock. He had found the ideal gift for Tohru's birthday and in just four more days he would give it to her along with the long-anticipated confession of his feelings. There was nothing in the world that could ruin his good mood.

…Tohru's Dream…

… "hello...?" the spinning began to slow around Tohru and gradually came to a stop. The stark contrast between the prior, head-splitting chaos and the deathly silence of this tomb- this horrible place- was almost unbearable. She reached out her hands into the darkness until they met a cold, marble-like surface… a wall. Unsure of what else to do, Tohru placed her hand against the wall and cautiously began following it through the long and winding corridors of shadows…

Then a sound sliced through the silence, making Tohru spasm with fright. Regaining her balance, she listened intently and recognized that forlorn, echoing sound— it was the sound of someone crying. Keeping her hand pressed against the wall, Tohru ran toward the source of the tragic sobs- her lonely footsteps mingled with weeping. Suddenly- she could no longer feel the security of the wall beneath her fingertips. Coming to an abrupt stop, she ran her hands along the void's marble threshold—

it was a door.

…Kyo's Bedroom …

Kyo was still basking when he heard Tohru's scream.

Bounding out of his hammock, without a thought for his bare chest or Tony-the-Tiger pajama bottoms, Kyo flew down the hall to Tohru's room. The scene that greeted Kyo when he burst through her door stopped time, cementing his legs and his lungs in place. Tohru was sprawled across the wooden floor of her bedroom— her white bed-sheet twisted halfway around her shivering body. Another moan escaped her pale lips, and the world came rushing back… He slid down on his knees as he approached her vulnerable figure, his momentum flinging the sliver locket from his pocket and into the jumble that was Tohru's body. His arms wrapped around her limp body and he laid her head against his chest. That's when he saw it…. The blood trickling from the edge of Tohru's mouth 'oh God NO! PLEASE NO!' Kyo shook her desperately "Tohru! Tohru— WAKE UP TOHRU!" you can't go, not now, not without you ever knowing… Kyo's cries brought semi-conscious Yuki, followed closely by Shigure to Tohru's room.

"You've done it this time you STUPID CA—!" Yuki stopped short when he slammed the sliding door open. "WH- WHAT DID YOU DO!" Yuki roared, horrified.

"he-help me s-she won't wake up…"

"Now, now, you two, I must insist you put an end to this lat night flirta-" but words died on Shigure's lips as he entered the doorway to Tohru's room.

! "KYO—YOU'RE NOT TRANSFORMING!" !

…Tohru's Dream…

Tohru stepped through the gap in the secure, marble wall. The yawning cavern was damp and its vastness so overwhelming and it darkness so constricting it made Tohru feel claustrophobic. The cautious slapping of her shoes on the limestone floor resonated through her whole body but she forced her ears to stay trained on any lingering hint of the cries that had guided her to this godforsaken place. Without warning,- the ground began to rumble beneath her feet and the sound of rock dragged against rock screamed in her ears. Her knees hit stone as she fell to the floor but wrapping her arms around her head did nothing to drown out that last unspeakable sound, …the sound of vault being sealed.

…

…Back to reality (oops, there goes gravity sorry I'm a hopeless Eminem fanatic)…

…

Kyo was speechless which might be a sign of the apocalypse his crimson eyes darted wildly from his cousins then back to the lifeless girl in his arms. Then, shaking his head, he shouted, "That doesn't matter now— she's bleeding, TOHRU IS BLEEDING!"

"Give her to me." Yuki commanded.

Kyo almost objected but bit his lip and passed her inert body into Yuki's waiting arms— his worry for Tohru overpowered everything- even his hatred for that dammed rat.

Yuki held Tohru to him "Come on, quickly—! Move it, cat!" Yuki rushed out the door and down the hallway towards the bathroom. As worried as he was over his beloved Tohru, he couldn't bear to let the others see him blushing at their unfortunate embrace.

Kyo realized what Yuki was planning to do and ran ahead to turn on the shower. Shigure finally snapped out of his trance and walked rapidly beside Yuki, spotting the prince's grasp on his sleeping beauty.

…Tohru's Dream…

"hello—! CAN ANYBODY HEAR ME!"

…anybody?…as the last echoes of Tohru's final timid whisper died in the darkness, she was answered by the same disembodied sobs that had lead her, like breadcrumbs, to this gingerbread coffin. Sensing a faint glow interrupting the oppressive darkness, Tohru spun around and across the leagues of black waves, she glimpsed a tiny, sputtering beacon of light. Truthfully, that heroic flare was not light but more accurately the aftertaste of light. Like the spots of luminosity that float before your eyes after the glare of a camera flash lashes across your pupils, Tohru's great hope was merely the afterthought of something that once knew the sun. Yet, a memory is something miraculous to those who are forgotten and Tohru rushed toward her fellow castaway. Wading through the shadows toward her smoldering beacon, the weeping became louder around her until the mournful dirge enveloped her completely. Tohru knew that whatever was emitting the light had to be the source of the despondent elegy as well. As she drew closer to the source, its form became more defined she realized – it was a child. The tiny child was cowering in a corner of this unbounded chamber, and Tohru wondered, horrified, how long he had been imprisoned here, isolated from everything but the seething dark. She could not she the child's face, but he was wearing boy's clothes. He hid himself in this obscure corner of the world, his legs pressed to his chest and embraced by his arms, his face buried in his knees. Drawing to within arm's reach, Tohru hesitated, not wanting to scare the boy anymore that need be; she kneeled until she was eye level with the miserable figure. As Tohru drew closer towards the boy his cries became less intense and his outline, more defined. His sobbing was now reduced to a low moaning interspersed with the hiccups and irregular breathing that conclude the tantrums every 5-year-old. Finally, Tohru ventured to speak to the child,

"Shhhh…it's ok now, you don't have to be afraid anymore, I'm here and you won't have to face this alone anymore…I promise…"

The boy didn't say anything for a long time so Tohru waited until his breathing became more regular and his hiccups finally subsided.

"shhh…it's ok, I' m here, my name is Tohru Honda and I'm here with you now,…what is your name?"

Tohru waited but instead of answering her the boy slowly raised his head to look Tohru in the face.

She gasped when she saw his shinning features. The nameless boy in the corner …was Yuki!

"yuki…" she breathed. This couldn't be the boy in front of her could be no older than five or six…but those _eyes_ – those viciously intense violet eyes that told of a sadness that Tohru could taste. This was Yuki - eyes like that existed nowhere else in the world… Then, the memory of Yuki spoke, in a voice that was older than the sadness that flowed from his eyes…

"Only . You . Can . Save . Us . Tohru . Honda . – Only You."

"Wha— I mean, I don't understand save you from what—?"

"Look for the night when the moon bears petals-

when the prince and the pauper find their queen—

once the beast and the soul become one from three—

and the delicate moonflower turns seventeen—."

"THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF THE END!"

"Yuki wait— Yuki…!"

Once Yuki's final words were spoken, a blinding flash of light burst from his eyes and plunged into Tohru, submerging her in brilliance.

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Muhahaha...! what will happen next? will freza trimph over the mighty Goku? will there be diolouge that transcends grunting and screaming? will you have to stay tuned to the next 23 exciting episodes of DRAGONBALL Z to find out?the answers are yes no and yes if you happen to hate retorical questions!

oh...wait, sorry... wrong que cards... ok grins found them:

REVIEW!

this is channel 2 news, i'm Ron Burgandy

**peace**


	3. Enigma

Chapter 3: Enigma

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…

…Back to Reality…

…

Kyo and Yuki both helped carry Tohru into the running shower while Shigure ran downstairs to make an emergency phone call to Hatori.

As the water hit Tohru's face, she trembled and her lips formed a one-sided conversation

"Yuki…wait…"

Kyo cringed as Tohru's plea shot through his ears and continued ricocheting inside his brain. Both boys' eyes met over the body of the unconscious girl between them, one radiated a muted triumph the other, raw defeat.

Kyo broke his gaze first, unable to bear the rat's haughtiness; he cast his head down so that his hair covered his face like an orange landslide. He could not let the rat know how much it hurt him… that he was not the one Tohru called to when she was in the grip of nightmares…to know that she would call to _Yuki_ instead of him--the traitorous rat who had stolen everything from him! He just couldn't give him the satisfaction! So Kyo did the only thing he knew to do – he summoned up the survival mechanism he had used so often as a kid. He shut down his emotions. --Sealing them in a tomb deep within his mind alongside memories of his mother's fear and his guilt over her suicide. His expression grew blank and detached and he focused all his apathetic attention on Tohru – his eyes consuming her body in search for signs of consciousness. The water beat down on them from the showerhead as the seconds passed with infinite monotony and Kyo let its rhythm flood his brain. The constant cascade blurred the three occupants beneath a veil of water, making it impossible –even for the perceptive Yuki— to distinguish the droplets on Kyo's face from the two salty beads rolling down his cheeks.

Abrupt coughs suddenly erupted from Tohru, and the cousins jerked at her startling change. Yuki's bangs overshadowed his face as he quickly leaned closer to Tohru's face, and he exhaled with relief as he saw her eyelids flutter slightly.

"I think She's coming to…"

Kyo nodded as he sank to his knees to watch for any movement that suggested his closest companion would return to him.

"YUKI!" Tohru yelled, sitting bolt upright as if lighting had just struck the tile floor.

"Miss Honda…?" managed the bewildered Yuki, barely dodging Tohru's forceful awakening.

Tohru's body remained in a rigor-mortise state for a painstaking moment before the constant rain of water on her face finally provoked another (less abrupt) response from her soaked body; she sneezed. Her mundane action broke the building tension and brought Tohru back from cold stones and darkness to well… cold tile and wetness.

Cat and rat watched her with anxious relief as her eyes, night-walker-wide but blind to reality, slowly began to focus on the landscape of_ this_ world. Her sea-green eyes come back to life like the tide, bringing with them the deep, dilated knowledge of mystery. The three companions sat staring at each other for a few **extraordinarily** awkward seconds until Kyo stood up and brusquely twisted the shower nozzle to "off" -- effectively (if unceremoniously) killing the ogle-fest.

The disoriented Tohru ventured to break the silence first.

"ummm…where am I? She asked as her adjusting pupils searched the tiled surroundings for bearings.

A slight clatter brought the two Sohmas back to reality yes I know… blankets don't clatter BUT lockets wrapped in blankets do!. Tohru's bed sheet had fallen from around her shoulders, revealing only a strawberry-print bra to cover her.

"Ahhhh, I am so sorry!"

Tohru gasped in unison with Yuki and Kyo's hurried apologies, with one arm wrapped around her chest she grabbed at the blanket on the floor for more covering. By this time, all three of them were as red as the strawberries on Tohru's underwear…

…..

With impeccable timing as usual Shigure burst through the door just in time to catch their awkward, guilt-ridden expressions.

"Well, well, _festivities_ I presume? Scoundrels I know THAT look ANYWHERE! Simply UNACCEPTABLE! And I must say I AM CRUSHED that two of my own flesh and blood would stoop so low as to SEDUCE our delicate young flower when she is helpless and exposed! The Audacity!

Shigure is having _WAY_ too much fun with this…

As Guardian I CANNOT _allow_ such scandal in _my_ house again! DO NOT WORRY MAIDEN TOHRU! I SHALL ESCORT YOU TO YOUR ROOM! NO –NO - DO NOT PROTEST – I INSIST…! It is my _DUTY_ as a _GENTLEMAN_! shigure rears up on handy white stallion DO NOT FRET FOR I SHALL STAND GUARD YOU WHILE YOU DRESS AND BATHE TO DETER ALL PERVERTS SUCH AS THESE DASTARDLY SCOUNDRELS! COME FAIR MAIDEN TOHRU---------! LET US AWAAAAYYY-----!"canters away on handy white stallion gazing back at Tohru with hand outstretched

canters strait into two very large fists

falls off handy white stallion

end : action sequence

"DO YOU _EVER_ **SHUT-UP**?"

Yuki and Kyo towered over the obnoxious dog (who was now doing and frighteningly good impersonation of Momijii and cowering behind Tohru) with blazing eyes and vein-poppin' foreheads. Tohru awoke to this …energetic… scene surrounded by the ones she loved and with the world exactly the way she had left it. Yuki was fully-grown and free of the main house and Kyo was beating up Shigure and Shigure was being hyper and juvenile…and everything was so perfect and so familiar …and just _right_ , somehow…and Tohru was bursting with such relief and happiness at being alive that the just she started laughing…just giggling at first but then progressing to the all out stomach laugh that makes you feel healthy, in a way – like you are a better person for laughing like that. Wrapping the arms around her stomach, Tohru looked at her bewildered friends through tear-lined eyes and smiled.

"I am so grateful for you, all of you, I love this house and my life with the Sohmas. Thank you all so much for being my friends…!"

Kyo and Yuki were taken aback by Tohru's odd proclamation but the ever-smooth Shigure crouched down to Tohru and, putting his hand on her shoulder and looking her strait in the eye, said,

"Tohru, you are always welcome in my home and I am extremely grateful to know you. You are the most loving person I have ever met."

Tohru saw the sincerity in Shigure's face, heard the relief in his voice, and was deeply moved by his uncharacteristic seriousness. Not trusting her voice, Tohru mouthed 'thank you' to him but was at a lost for what else to say. 'Shigure is a really wonderful person,' she thought to herself, 'I wonder what happened during my dream that made them all so concerned about me…"

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Author's Note: Thanks all you readers who reviewed! It is sooo appreciated tell me if you think it gets too frilly and descriptive… I kinda have a tendency to do that occasionally, I know… so sorry so sorry.. but yeah the next chapter is really intense (I just have to type it up and I'll be good to post so look out for it ) oh and TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS! thanks Holla back ! ;; peace out my homie G's  kidding, only kidding … k, later 


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